Perfectly Pie!

November 9, 2006

This year, as usual, we're going to celebrate Thanksgiving with family -- but not at our house. Instead, we'll be with our grandchildren, Nicole and Jonathan, whose parents have an even larger dining room.

Since I don't have the lion's share of cooking and setting up, I'm making the pies with their help. Not just the usual pies -- the top crust of these will be decorated with fancy pastry shapes, or we may dispense with a top crust and just lightly press pastry shapes on top of the filling.

Nicole and Jonathan love to roll out the pastry, and cut out leaf or apple shapes choosing from my cookie-cutter collection, (though the pastry may be a bit off-color by the time they've actually finished.) Or maybe we'll just fold the overlapping pastry over the edges of the fillings to make a "free-form" apple pie.

Not enough pie dishes? Pull out any unusual shaped baking dishes or even a large au gratin dish. Use those instead of the traditional round pie dish. I bake apple and pear pies in a deep white baking dish in the form of a leaf.

Our pie fillings will be delicate and moist, but firm enough so that in transporting between houses, there's no spillage. And we'll make pastry shells from scratch. With the Perfect Processor Pastry recipe below, it's easier than pie. (Don't let little ones use the processor!) We might -- just might -- use one or two prepared pie shells, such as the graham-cracker pie crusts. We'll keep the transparent cover so that when turned over, it acts as a lid without actually touching the pie.

Perfect Processor Pastry(Pareve)

An unbelievably easy, short crust pastry. May be refrigerated for two to three days, or frozen for several weeks. This recipe makes enough for a 9-inch double-crust pie.

Place the flour and salt in the food processor bowl. Using the pulse button, cut in the margarine until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

In a measuring cup, whisk the egg, vinegar and enough ice water to make 2/3 cups. Add the egg mixture. Process till dough starts to clump together. Do not let it form a ball and come away from the sides of the bowl.

Remove and divide into two equal pieces. Wrap tightly in wax paper.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to three days.

Let stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling out on a floured board.

To prepare the pie filling, place the raisins, boiling water, orange-juice concentrate and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Return to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat. Let cool slightly.

In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir into the raisin mixture.

Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, stirring, until mixture is thick, clear and no starchy taste remains, about five minutes.

Stir in the lemon juice and margarine. Cool.

On a floured board, roll out half the pastry. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Pour in the raisin filling. Roll out remaining pastry and place on top. Press down edges and trim. Cut three 1-inch slits on top for steam to escape.

May roll out trimmings, then cut out leaves or other shapes. Moisten the underside of shapes with water. Press down lightly on top crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°. Bake for 25 minutes longer or until crust is golden.

To prepare the pastry, mix the flour and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the margarine until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (you can also do this in the food processor).

In a measuring cup, mix the egg yolk, vinegar and enough water to make 1/4 cup. Gradually stir into the flour mixture, until the mixture just holds together. (You may need 1 to 2 tablespoons of additional water).

On a floured board, roll out the pastry into a circle about 14 inches in diameter. Don't worry if the edges are uneven. Transfer to 12-inch quiche dish or large pie dish, letting the pastry hang over the edges.

For Filling: Reserve 2 tablespoons sugar. In a bowl, mix the remaining sugar with the hazelnuts and flour. Sprinkle about half this mixture over the pastry in pie dish. Toss the apples and cranberries with the remaining mixture. Spoon on top of the pastry in the pie dish. Sprinkle with reserved sugar. Dot with margarine. Drizzle the nondairy creamer over. Fold the overhanging pastry over to form a ragged border.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° and bake for 35 minutes longer, or until apples are tender and pastry is golden. If browning too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil. Cool. Before serving, dust with confectioners sugar (optional).